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<h1>
    MEN AT WORK
</h1>

<div class="quote">
    "And THIS is what we get for going to Brazil."<br />

    <img alt="?" src="images/work.png" />
</div>

<div class="members">
    ?<br />

    <a href="http://www.southparkstudios.com/games/create.html">South Park Create-A-Character</a>
</div>

<p class="albumList">
  <a href="#usual">Business As Usual</a><br />
  <a href="#cargo">Cargo</a><br />
  <a href="#hearts">Two Hearts</a><br />
</p>

<p>Don't mind me if I sound silly, but I think there's a whole fuckin' lot of injustice when it comes to Australian band Men At Work, because of two main reasons: (a) they are, many times, considered a "one hit wonder". You know, I think I hinted before at how much I hate the way the USA, and even Europe at times, treats foreign music. It's very easy calling Men At Work a "one hit wonder" because of 'Down Under', but... doesn't anyone remember 'Who Can It Be Now'? 'It's A Mistake'? 'Be Good Johnny'? 'Overkill'? Geez, people. But then, there's a second reason, right? Reason (b), right? Ok. (b) many times, Men At Work are credited for THE WRONG HIT! That's right! People call them "one hit wonders" because they supposedly recorded 'The Safety Dance'! Please, people, before you go on reading this page, read the following aloud: <big><big><big><big>'The Safety Dance' was written by MEN WITHOUT HATS, NOT Men At Work! [Repeat 5 times]</big></big></big></big></p>

<p>There, rant over. Sorry, I just get worked up when people miss the point with Men At Work, since I love that band. My whole love was sparked with the live album they recorded and released in Brazil, called <strong>Brazil '96</strong>. But I only took the real courage to go in deeper into their catalogue a couple of years later. And it was quite impressive, but this band has A LOT of great songs, aside from the usual "hits". For the non-enlighted, Men At Work appeared in Australia in the early eighties or so, and as their debut album <strong>Business As Usual</strong> became a smashing hit on the world up above, they were put in the "New Wave" movement along with bands like The Police, who probably had some influence on them. See, Men At Work was fairly fond of Reggae, but I'll never know whether they took that from Sting or from Bob Marley. But in a way, Men At Work <em>is</em> New Wave-y, but still have a special value of their own. They had sense of humour - sometimes a wee bit cruel, sometimes a wee bit lightweight. Colin Hay was an <em>excellent</em> songwriter. His pals Greg Ham and Ron Strykert also had shining moments too, though either they were less prolific or Colin Hay wanted to mantain the creative leadership of the band. They knew very well what made a song catchy and unforgettable, and put that knowledge to FULL USE. You see, 'Who Can It Be Now' and 'Down Under' where, by no means, "accidental hits". They were results of very talented artists trying to make it big.</p>

<p>But when you take one of their LP's and listen to all the tracks, you may find out that not all of their tracks are "potential hits". I guess they didn't apply the "success formula" to everything they did, but they were a <em>clever</em> and <em>talented</em> band - and their non-hits are also excellent, sometimes even better than their actual hits. So, there are two ways you can know Men At Work: through their famous songs, or through their albums. Their hits may give a slightly wrong impression about the band, making them look all to lightweight and, indeed, "one or two hit wonders". But their albums are there, for all to see, revealing a whole new dimension of musical fun. It's up to you to check them out or not. You probably know 'Down Under' by heart, but do you really <em>care</em> for Men At Work? It may sound silly, but I DO recommend then. They're too good and fun to be disliked. Ignored, maybe, but disliked? Only critics can dislike Men At Work.</p>

<p class="guide">
  The Men At Work Discography Guide
</p>
<ul>
  <li>Best album for starters: <strong>Business As Usual</strong> - Their breakthrough debut, and by far, the most balanced and accessible Men At Work package that's not a compilation available.</li>
  <li>Essential album: <strong>Business As Usual</strong> - Well, heh. If you want to have one Men At Work album, this is the one to have.</li>
  <li>Best album: <strong>Business As Usual</strong> - There's no denying this album's strength and richness.</li>
  <li>Worst album: <strong>Two Hearts</strong> - The place where the band really went off the rails, for a number of reasons. It's not bad, though.</li>
  <li>Best compilation: <strong>Contraband</strong> - There are PLENTY of tracks here, and the selection is great. But if you're in for a different, fantastic Men At Work experience, please get <strong>Brazil</strong> - the international reissue of the <strong>Brazil '96</strong> live album, with a '97 track, 'The Longest Night'.</li>
</ul>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@ig.com.br">Mail your ideas</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="we" class="best">Business As Usual (1981)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Down By The Sea</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Who Can It Be Now? ++</span></li>
  <li>I Can See It In Your Eyes <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Down Under ++</span></li>
  <li>Underground <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Helpless Automaton <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>People Just Love To Play With Words</li>
  <li>Be Good Johnny <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Touching The Untouchables</li>
  <li>Catch A Star <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Down By The Sea ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Damn me if this isn't dangerously close to a 15. Pop music hardly gets any better than this, especially coming from the 80's. But, even though it doesn't harm the rating at all, I need to complain about one thing in this album... <em>the production</em>. I knew it was the 80's, and it was all New Wave around the world, but did they really need to apply such a thin, squeaky sound to these songs? Man!</p>

<p>But then, I could even say that the thin production only makes the power and catchiness of the melodies and the pop hooks even more noticeable. Huh, whatever. The fact is, this album is a ridiculously fine collection of BRAZILLIANT songs. They're all pop, but have a fun, solid rock performance (that could definitely benefit from a strong production, but let's forget about it). They're all fun and catchy, but they have a bitter sense of humour and, sometimes, even grim lyrical matter. Nothing sad or angry, but most of these lyrics have extremely urban topics: mental disorders ('Who Can It Be Now?'), political matters ('Underground'), people acting like robots or vice-versa ('The Man Mach--' err, I mean, 'Helpless Automaton'), working and getting tired ('Touching The Untouchables') and kids that aren't really the way their parents wanted them to be ('Be Good Johnny'). Sometimes, it comes with the trademark Colin Hay sense of humour, sometimes not.</p>

<p>But, oh, why should I bother talking about lyrics when I can focus on the brilliant music here? You'll hardly need to be introduced to the two big hit singles of the album. 'Who Can It Be Now?' is a song <em>made</em> to be a classic. I doubt any sane living being can write a song like that and not think "this will be a <em>classic</em>". Of course, whether it should be a <em>deserved</em> classic depends on the songwriter. But in Colin Hay's case, he definitely deserved it. Nothing about the song is out of place. The sax riff, the striking lyrics, the vocal delivery, the sax solo and even the climactic ending. You can never go wrong with this song.</p>

<p>And there is what became practically a secondary (or primary?) Australian anthem, 'Down Under'. Maybe this one wasn't written to <em>be</em> a classic, but no way people could have resisted it. Listening to it makes me feel like meeting an Australian fella just to say "G'day, mate! Met At Work <em>ROCKS</em>!" to him. Through a reggae rhythm, Colin introduces concepts like "Vegemite" and "chunder" to the world up above, and also brings Greg Ham's unforgettable flute riff. Oh, and did I forget to mention? Colin Hay is a brilliant singer. A <em>really, really</em> brilliant singer. His voice isn't smooth or "pleasant", but it's powerful and memorable. He not only sings in tune, or sings the melody with precision: he voice becomes <em>part</em> of the melody, you know. Just thought I'd say that because, even though 'Down Under' has a brilliant melody already, Colin gives it an extra thrill with his voice. Now, those who are only familiar with those two tunes may find it a bit ultrageous that I didn't pick either as my favourite song, but I understand. But if you did listen to 'Down By The Sea', <em>you</em> would certainly understand <em>me</em>. I'm just an absolute sucker for that song. Starting off with the echoey drums and the bass line and going into a wonderfully slow and atmospheric quasi-ballad, this song gives me all sort of dreamy feelings and images. The music makes <em>complete</em> justice to Hay's lyrics about sea, beach, docks, cliffs, ships and hidden treasures. Everything about the song is perfect - from the gentle transitions from quiet to <em>even more</em> quiet and into the climactic choruses and the definitive ending. A pop album can't have a much better ending than 'Down By The Sea'.</p>

<p>With the three masterpieces out of the way, there isn't a whole lot I can say about the album. Every song is good - sometimes great - sometimes funny, sometimes not. There are two "fast ballads" here: 'I Can See It In Your Eyes' is particularly sweet, and 'People Just Love To Play With Words' has more of that beautiful saxophone playing. 'Catch A Star' brings more reggae, backed up with a <em>clever</em> riff, and 'Underground' is the rockiest of all tracks, with yet <em>another</em> clever riff. They just don't stop coming, do they? Greg Ham is given the spotlight on 'Helpless Automaton', where he sings from an android's point of view, with a somewhat dorky "theatrical" voice and backed by hilariously "static" playing. More of that kind of humour is found on 'Be Good Johnny', another classic, with an utterly unforgettable chorus and great lyrics ("Are you playing football this year, Johnny?... No? Oh... Then you must gonna be play cricket this year now, are you, John? Nah! Nah! Nah!").</p>

<p>I'm not betraying the truth at all by saying that the entire album is good, and even the charts agree with me, too: this album stood a surprisingly large amount of time on both the US and the UK charts, and in fact, the release of <strong>Cargo</strong> was delayed for almost an year because <strong>Business As Usual</strong> refused to stop being sold. If you have some space in your collection for lightweight, fun pop music, fill it up with <em>this</em> one. You'll hardly regret.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>14/15</strong></big> - This album's fun factor is very, very short of perfect.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - If you have a heart, these guys <em>will</em> get you  going.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>13/15</strong></big> - The ingredients are a little derivative of other New Wave bands, but the brew itself is unique.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Um... is there <em>anything</em> lacking from this record?<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Heh, it never ceases being good.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/14.png" alt="14" />
</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">People Just Love To Play With Words</a>.</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="cargo">Cargo (1983)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>It's A Mistake</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Dr. Heckyll &amp; Mr. Jive ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Overkill ++</span></li>
  <li>Settle Down My Boy <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Upstairs In My House ++</span></li>
  <li>No Sign Of Yesterday <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">It's A Mistake ++</span></li>
  <li>High Wire <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Blue For You <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>I Like To</li>
  <li>No Restrictions <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>Here, the formula hasn't been changed too drastically. There's still a little bit of goofy sci-fi (from 'Helpless Automaton' to 'Dr. Heckyll And Mr. Jive'), grim lyrical topics (from 'Touching The Untouchables' to 'Overkill'), parental affairs (from 'Be Good Johnny' to 'Settle Down My Boy'), Greg Ham's dorky goofiness (from 'Helpless Automaton' to 'I Like To')... Okay, okay, I'll stop. I don't want to make this album look like a carbon copy of their debut, since it's not. But it's true that the formula is more or less the same, but it only goes to show how much more the band had in stock. This album <em>is</em> a stepdown from <strong>Business As Usual</strong>, but I can't accuse them of anything. If they wanted to pull off an even bigger masterpiece, they would <em>have</em> to change. And either it wasn't the right time to change, or they just didn't want to. After all, when you still have a lot of great music to write, why throw it all on the trash just to "change"? Change doesn't necessarily mean artistic growth (and that goes to YOU, U2).</p>

<p>Step down or not, this album <em>is</em> a perfectly good purchase if you like <strong>Business As Usual</strong>. It's a wee bit longer, the production is a wee bit better, and the mood is also a wee bit different. There's not much of that goofy humour... Things are a bit darker here. But the album's still fun! Just listen to 'Dr. Heckyll &amp; Mr. Jive' and hear it for yourself - THAT is sci-fi humour at its best. And how could you go wrong with a title like that? It's not really the fun of hearing Colin Hay go "storyteller" on us: it's just amazing to hear all of those clever little riffs, the vocal melodies, the meticulous parts of the music falling <em>perfectly</em> in place.</p>

<p>Greatness keeps coming on the pop-reggae 'It's A Mistake', with polictical lyrical matters, and more of those priceless melodies Men At Work could do so well. 'Overkill' is plainly gorgeous, sad and almost desperate. Don't miss the equally catchy verse and chorus melodies and that guitar solo. 'Upstairs In My House' is another revelation... Wow, they can do those "fast ballads" really well. The "I like it UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPstairs in my house" chorus might raise some surprised eyebrows. Just hear for yourself what I mean when I talk about Hay's singing.</p>

<p>Maybe it's the time to voice my complaints? Well, there aren't many, really. I'd just say that this album's "epic", 'No Sign Of Yesterday', is only really inferior to 'Down By The Sea' because of the unnecessary synth "embellishments". Wipe them out, and the song gains the precious moodiness it really needs. The song itself is brilliant - it just could have been better, even if you can't improve that guitar picking and the vocal melodies. Complaint number two... Well, Greg Ham's 'I Like To' is one of the very few Men At Work songs that I really don't like. It's not for the song itself, but just because of the way he feels the need to pull off a David Byrne immitation to deliver those "wacky", "paranoid" lyrics with that bubbly voice. David could do much better than "I like to look at pictures in a book / never read the writing, just put it down / I like to". Heck, even Colin Hay himself did better in other songs in the album. The song also reminds me very much of what The Cure did to 'Foxy Lady' on their debut LP. The only noteworthy thing about the song is the instrumental break, though it isn't really <em>that</em> spectacular.</p>

<p>But the song doesn't really do much harm, since 'No Restrictions' comes right after it. And it's one of the very few Men At Work songs where the intro and the ending don't have anything to do at all with what's inbetween them. That means, don't be alarmed with the "dramatic" intro, since the song itself is fast and catchy. But I <em>do</em> have to voice another complaint, but this time against the <em>production</em>. Heck, why don't they just let the song <em>rock</em>? You can FEEL the drums and the bass trying to give the song some damn <em>drive</em>, but the guitars are all too sluggish. But the song itself? Goody. And if you want some <em>real</em> humour on the album, you can try Ron Strykert's first moment in the "spotlight", with 'Settle Down My Boy'. Such fun and catchy pop music! It shows Colin Hay wasn't really the only great songwriter in the band, also reminding that a couple of Men At Work songs are Hay/Strykert compositions. He has a fun voice, too. Ah, and how can I forget the fun 'High Wire', even though it isn't really <em>too</em> relevant? And 'Blue For You', with <em>VERY</em> sweet Reggae sounds, guitar chords and vocal melodies? It's probably the warmest, cutest song the band ever made. I like romantic songs when they are like <em>this</em>.</p>

<p>I really can't say something like <em>don't miss this album</em> this time around, you know. I still recommend <strong>Business As Usual</strong> first if you're not familar with the band. But after you get that one, do get this one, too. They go together very well. <strong>Cargo</strong> is good. It's even great. If you <em>do</em> see it somewhere, get it.</p>

<p>Oh, what an annoying thing to say. What am I doing here, reviews or advertising?</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>13/15</strong></big> - A small stepdown, I say.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Well, <em>here</em>, there's no stepdown. If there is any, it's too slight.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>13/15</strong></big> - It's more or less the same as the previous album.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Goody goody!<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Maybe I can complain about 'I Like To'? Maybe not.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/13.png" alt="13" />
</p>

<p>This is the story about <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Dr. Mayll</a> and <a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mr. Mail</a>.</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="hearts">Two Hearts (1985)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Maria</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Man With Two Hearts <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Giving Up</li>
  <li>Everything I Need <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Sail To You</li>
  <li>Children On Parade</li>
  <li><span class="good">Maria ++</span></li>
  <li>Stay At Home <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Hard Luck Story</li>
  <li>Snakes And Ladders</li>
  <li>Still Life</li>
</ol>

<p>Argh! Aaargh! 1985! Kill! Kill!... Oh, wait... I was <em>born</em> in 1985. But, oh, jeebus. Isn't it enough to review one bland pop album from 1985 (<strong>Little Creatures</strong>, if you don't know), I have to review <em>another</em> one? Oh, so do I. Meh, but I can do it. Can we review it? Yes, we can!</p>

<p><em>Mouse, Screen and Keyboard<br />
       Speakers too!<br />
       WordPad and Lisa</em> <small>[i.e. my wallpaper]</small><em><br />
       Join the crew!<br />
       Fernie, the nerd,<br />
       Has so much fun!<br />
       Writing and reviewing,<br />
       He gets the page done!</em></p>

<p>So, what are we going to review today, Wendy? Oh, yes. Farmer Colin Pickles needs to have his band's album <strong>Two Hearts</strong> reviewed. Let's get going right away! *forgets his cellphone*</p>

<p>[cue instrumental version of the theme tune]</p>

<p>Good day, Farmer Colin Pickles!</p>

<p><em>Good day, Fernie. Good to see you here. You see, my band Men At Work had a few problems after <strong>Cargo</strong> was released, so me and Greg, the scarecrow, lost a few band members. And when we made our next album in 1985, we had to replace them with synthesizers.</em></p>

<p>Oh, I see. Well, I can see the production here has improved a little, in comparison with <strong>Cargo</strong> and <strong>Business As Usual</strong>. But there are a few too many synthesizers, indeed!</p>

<p><em>Yes, I know. We thought we'd use them because everybody was using them back then, but I didn't think it would sound so dated twenty years later.</em></p>

<p>Oh, don't worry, Farmer Hay! I've heard much more dated albums before. Mr. Oldfield's <strong>Tubular Bells II</strong>, from 1992, dated twice as fast as your album. But why did the band turn into this kind of commercial, radio-friendly synthesized pop? It sounds a bit faceless, doesn't it?</p>

<p><em>Faceless? Oh, yes, you're right, Fernie. It's just that since nobody had a face back in 1985, we thought they were obsolete.</em></p>

<p>I know. The eighties were tragic to a lot of people. But the album's main problem is that it's not too consistent. There are some great tracks here, like 'Man With Two Hearts' and the sweet and catchy 'Everything I Need'. And, oh, 'Maria' is gorgeous! The sitar gives it a special touch, but it would have been great even without it.</p>

<p><em>Thanks, Fern. We still had a couple of bottles of Inspiration back then, so we could make songs like that. Greg wrote 'Stay At Home', too, which is pretty fun. 'Giving Up' is quite pleasant, but I find it too generic...</em></p>

<p>[cue Greg, the Scarecrow's tune]</p>

<p><em><strong>Oooh, hello, Farmer Colin Pickles! Did I hear you say my name?</strong></em></p>

<p><em>Good morning, Greg. I was just talking about your songs from our album <strong>Two Hearts</strong>.</em></p>

<p>Yes, Greg, we were. I have to say that I like 'Stay At Home' a little bit more than 'I Like To', from <strong>Cargo</strong>, even if it lacks the full band performance and the rock guitars.</p>

<p><em><strong>Ooh, you think so? Huhuhuhuh! Thank you, Fern! Oh! Oh, and what did you think of my singing in 'Still Life'?</strong></em></p>

<p>Oh, it's good, Greg. The song is quite nice, with its sad atmosphere, though it isn't too memorable.</p>

<p><em>We thought we needed to make a dramatic, grim song like that one, but I guess it could have been worse. But anyway, Greg, weren't you supposed to be somewhere else, scaring birds?</em></p>

<p><em><strong>Yes, Farmer Hay. Sorry, Farmer Hay. Greg's on the job! Huhuhuhuh!</strong></em></p>

<p>Anyway, I really <em>do</em> think 'Giving Up' is a bit generic. But hey, it's better making openly pleasant and generic pop songs like 'Giving Up' than doing like Talking Heads and disguising your genericism with "goofiness". There isn't too much wackiness here, though I don't like that disco throwaway 'Sail To You'. Some of the tracks are quite sad, and I really like 'Children On Parade', but I don't care much about the two penultimate tracks...</p>

<p><em>Really? Oh, well, I guess albums like these always lose steam towards the end.</em></p>

<p>It's true, Farmer Hay. You know, the album isn't bad at all. It's nice, but I don't think people should try too hard to get it. It's a shame that the band didn't live up to the two first albums, and that none of these songs became really successful. I really like your band, you know!</p>

<p><em>Thank you, Fernie.</em></p>

<p>Oh, well, I think my work here is done. I'll tell people that the live album <strong>Brazil</strong> is really great, and that the new song 'The Longest Night' is very nifty, and much better than most of the songs here.</p>

<p><em>Thanks once again, Fernie. You did an excellent job.</em></p>

<p>I'll go home, now. I'm hungry! I also have some albums by Mr. Nettelbeck to review. See you later, Farmer Hay!</p>

<p>[credits roll up]</p>

<p>And look out for <strong>Fernie The Reviewer: The Album</strong> coming up this Winter!</p>

<p>Oh, and this reminds me of a joke I made up... Do you know what's Bob The Builder's favourite Cure song?</p>

<p>...?</p>

<p>...?</p>

<p>'Wendy Time'!</p>

<p>...</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>10/15</strong></big> - Can we fix it?<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>8/15</strong></big>  - <br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>8/15</strong></big>  - <br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>10/15</strong></big> - <br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>9/15</strong></big>  - No, we can't...
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/09.png" alt="09" />
</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Brilliant</a>!</p>

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